Second Chances
by AptlyAnonymous
Summary: Afterwards, Quatre receives a visit...a simple version of Quatre's final words with Dorothy.


Second Chances

**Ok, so this was my very first completed Fanfic…well…ficlet, I suppose. I don't remember writing it, or when. It must be at least two years old. I didn't really have a plot or purpose so there's no action. I was just thinking about the series and some of the finality between these two characters that I would imagine took place behind the scenes at some point. **

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**_**Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing.**_

The air stirred softly, silently, as if no one was watching. The machinery did nothing but render its sweet yet malicious waves of eerie commotion, an almost harmonious concoction of beeping and whirring, humming and dripping…

Yet the atmosphere was enveloped in a sense of serenity…of tranquility.

Amidst the dreary, whitewashed walls, sheets and tiled floor, the almost contemptuous prints of flowers hanging in sickeningly bright pastel colors, the air thick with sense-assaulting antiseptics, one would expect nothing but isolated indifference.

Yet the ambiance was…welcoming.

A slow breath was being drawn, and then released, methodically, unnervingly, and every so often, soft, long eyelashes would flutter, only to become still again under the unmistakable influence of drugs.

Yet the room was…peaceful.

The sounds were ebbing at his mind, stirring him into the consciousness his body was so heartily trying to avoid. Despite the pain and the weariness that ached to his very core, his soul yearned within him, beckoning it to come.

Wearily, he opened his eyes, the shadowed green irises contrasting heavily against his pallid cheeks, and observed his surroundings. Machines stood about, some siphoning liquids to and fro, some recording vital bodily data. One in particular kept up the steady, high-pitched beeping rather annoyingly, he decided.

Again, his soul stirred within him. Something…was calling him.

Slowly, he turned his head towards the door, eyes squinting against the lack of light. Shadows streaked across the walls, creating miscellaneous shapes and his eyes fought to focus the outlines into familiar, recognizable images…

…A round, rigid shoulder, an arched neckline, long, flowing hair…and eyes.

They were blue. He couldn't see beyond the darkened silhouette, but he knew somehow that they were a pale, crystalline blue.

He took in a light, steady breath and whispered, almost inaudibly, before smiling.

"Dorothy…"

The figure stood silently, the address stirring no movement whatsoever. He continued to gaze at the form before him, then allowed his lids to slide closed, the smile only spreading.

"You…survived. I knew you would. I'm so glad."

The person stiffened at that, as if suddenly uncomfortable and the silence only grew deeper between them, but he didn't seem to mind. Finally, a sharp, imploring voice echoed back through the darkness.

"Why, Quatre?"

The air seemed to chill with the uttered reply. When he offered no response, she took a step towards him and then stopped suddenly, as if afraid of coming too close. He heard her draw an unsteady breathe, felt her eyes focusing on him, questioning him, before she continued.

"Why do you care so much?"

Quatre turned his head to look at her again, still smiling. Dorothy gasped at the look in his eyes, a look she couldn't quite place…a confidence…a sense of…comfort…and, strangely, found that she was suddenly longing to feel it herself. She tensed as he opened his mouth to respond.

"I care…because…you are a kind person." He winced slightly as he took a deep breath. "Despite your anger and your pain from the past, your heart…is pure. And you have been given…a second chance…just like me."

He sighed, feeling his eyelids growing heavy once again, but continued to fight off the impending sleep.

"You have that chance…Dorothy. All you have to do…is take it." With this, his eyes slid closed in seeming resignation and his face relaxed, the soft smile still adorning his face. It was then that Dorothy recognized the glint she had seen in his eyes.

It was Peace.

She felt a shiver overtake her as she stood, staring at the young man's pale yet lively face, and a silent, silver tear slipped down her cheek. For a moment, all she could do was nod in sudden resignation, and upon finding her voice again, she answered,

"I…don't want to…live…in the past anymore. A second chance…"

She paused, as if mentally digesting the idea, a smile slowly forming across her mouth. She then dipped her chin before raising her head assertively, the smile spreading until it shone in her eyes and she whispered,

"Yes."

Silently, she turned, not rigid as when she had come, but sturdy…more confident…and her figure faded, the outlined silhouette becoming one with the shadows once again.

Quatre remained, eyes closed, his breaths coming slower and easier. Finally, he sighed.

"Goodbye, Dorothy."

And the darkness reclaimed him.


End file.
